Of the two I’ll pick wandering into the forest and dying of exposure.

Most companies use background check services nowadays. Sure, you could try to just invent a new persona, but HR will flag you when your name, SSN, DOB, etc come back as bogus.

There are even background check companies that specialize in corporate background checks. They’ll try to estimate or find things like how much you made at your previous/current job, so the company you’re applying for knows what they can offer you without it seeming like a lowball. If a company can spend $100 on a background check and save $10k per year on an employee salary, that’s an easy financial decision for the company.

https://cybernews.com/security/fired-contractors-delete-government-databases/

You have zero clue what you’re talking about.

This is criminal behaviour and not only will it prevent future employment it will almost certainly result in jail time.

no one will ever know it was you and the company is not allowed to tell others.

That's absolutely not true. The generally accepted policy is to only confirm dates of employment, conduct, and if they would rehire. The can share anything that isn't a lie.

Additionally, if you commit sabotage you can have charges pressed against you. Serious ones with possible prison time. That would show up with even a rudimentary record search.

Pretty sure before hiring they can check for criminal records.